Putting Things in Order

I never suffer from what some people call writer's block. That's not what happened to me recently. I know what I'm going to write about.

This was different.

When I prepared my offering for my monthly writer's group, I sensed something was wrong. I have been taking successive chapters of my newest endeavor, The Curse of Periphery, to the group, but the next chapter seemed like too much of the same thing. Granted, a few months ago, they suggested I take one chapter and expand on it. That resulted in one chapter becoming four chapters.

I felt that, even though I was only on page 16 of the manuscript, something was missing. I had not introduced the villain yet. Was it time for him to make his entrance, I wondered?

To solve the issue, I wrote very short summaries of each chapter I had written. Then I cut them apart and, with a highlighter, color-coded each character. Then I played with reordering them.

At this point, I think my gut feeling was correct. The antagonist will be introduced to my writing group tonight, and I think his timing in the story will work. We will see what they think.

I was trying to stick with Joseph Campbell's hero's journey model, and maybe I was trying to follow it too religiously. Even JK Rowling, who I am sure used the hero's journey model to craft her series, made some adjustments to the order of events. If it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me!

Happy Holidays

Here's wishing my encouragers, my supporters, and my readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Chanukah!

What a year it has been!

Soon, I will be talking about everything I want to accomplish in the new year, but for now, there is a crackling fire in the fireplace, carols playing in the background, a beautiful tree waiting to be lit, and gifts to give to make my loved ones smile.

There will be turkey to eat, cheesecake with raspberry sauce to enjoy, chocolates, and party crackers, and stockings to open. And don't forget the stories and memories of Christmases past with loved ones we have lost over the years.

We wait all year for this magical day. Enjoy it from beginning to end, and bask in its magic and beauty.

One More Chance

Many thanks to everyone who purchased novels from me this past weekend at the Buffalo Historical Society Makers Market. It's always so much fun talking with readers who want the perfect read.

I even met a gentleman (I feel horrible that I did not get your name), whose grandfather was the gardener of Hillside, the estate that provided the inspiration for Relic. He told me about his fond memories of running around the property and how beautiful it was! He purchased a book in memory of his grandfather, Donald McLellan. These kinds of connections only happen when books are sold in person, and it's why I do shows like this!

Next stop: The Williamsville PTSA Holiday Craft Show at Heim Middle and Elementary Schools. The show is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, December 7th and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday December 8th. There is an entrance fee for this show: $3 per person; $1 for children aged 11 to 17; and free for children 10 and under. Proceeds from the show will provide scholarships for students from the three high schools in Williamsville, NY.

I will be located in the hallway of Heim Elementary School. See you there!

Fun after Turkey Day!

 Sure, Turkey Day is right around the corner -- a day to give thanks. And I have so much to be thankful for this year, including my third novel out there in the world.

But right after Thanksgiving, there is so much fun to be had. I'm talking about the Makers Market at the Buffalo Historical Museum. I look forward to this show every year. Why? 

First of all, there are such wonderful vendors at which to shop. It's an artisan show, so these are top-notch products. Things you'll really be proud to give as holiday gifts.

Second, the venue is the beautiful, turn-of-the-century museum built for the Pan-American Exposition as the New York State Building. Shoppers get the added fun of scoping out the exhibits and the architecture.

I know this is a time for lots of craft and vendor fairs, but try to make time for the Makers Market. It really is a unique show, and I'll be there selling and signing my novels!

Happy Indie Author Day

Seems it is Indie Author Day across the nation! The Buffalo and Erie County Library held their 8th annual Indie Author Day today with a fabulously informative morning conference.

Six speakers talked about everything from writing to publishing to marketing. I've attended four of these mini conferences, but this one was fantastic. I can usually walk away with a few nuggets of information, but my notebook is filled with tips and websites.

One great piece of publishing advice from author Lisa Fellinger: "Consider your own skills and decide where you need professional help. Be honest about your abilities."

Annette Daniels Taylor, author of the Marvelous Marvella series, spoke about the different types of publishing. She gave information about educational publishers, which I was not familiar with. In the end, when choosing the type of publishing you want to pursue, "It all depends on your personal goals, your budget and how much time you want to invest," she said.

The day ended with a three-author panel Q&A, who addressed issues from finding free publicity, to networking, to happy moments and disappointments in their own writing and publishing journeys.

Kudos to everyone involved in bringing us Indie Authors a very informative morning! There's always only one problem with these events: they leave with lists of things I need to do to improve my game! Can't wait until next year! (I have so much work to do before then;)

Jeff Kinney Live!

I had a fun day Saturday with about 300 ten-year-olds and their parents at an author event held by Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The kids were absolutely thrilled to be seeing one of their favorite authors in person.

Twenty dollars got two people in the door and a signed copy of his 19th book in the series -- Hot Mess. Quite a deal!

For about ten minutes he talked about his writing process, which is as backwards as I can imagine. He comes up with an idea, then creates the cover first. He writes about 300 jokes next, which in this case involved restaurant and food jokes, and then he starts putting the illustrations and story together.

After that ten minutes, it was off to the races for the next forty-five as the author visit became a kid-centered game show calling up kids and parents in the audience to face off in friendly competitions. The show ended with beach balls painted like meatballs flying through the audience concert-style.

The event was unlike any author event I have ever been to! It really has me thinking about marketing, seeing as how this guy is obviously very successful (After his United States tour, he's off to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and China!)  So, remember, if you are a writer, try to go to as many of these events as you can, so you can see how other authors structure these events. Always keep a mental file of those ideas!

Many Thanks

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat Saturday at the Sweet Home Dollars for Scholars arts and crafts fair. It's always so much fun to talk with people about books and writing.

A special thank you to Darlene, Lisa, Beverly, Kaitlyn, Doris, Linda, Nancy, Abe, and Ivyana (who jumped up and down when I signed her book!) and others who bought books as gifts. It was wonderful to meet you all.

Remember, if you picked up a bookmark and buy one of my books on Amazon, I will always sign it at my next event.

Speaking of which, I will be selling and signing next at the Buffalo Historical Museum November 29 and 30 and then at the Heim Middle and Elementary School show December 7 and 8.

See you then!